


Patches Dances

by Clover



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Ambigious Relationship, Gen, Gift!Fic, I don't even know what this is even, M/M, Patches - if you know who this is you win a cookie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-17
Updated: 2012-02-17
Packaged: 2017-10-31 08:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/342101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clover/pseuds/Clover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is where a summary would go if I had any idea what to put here other than my goals were Patches and putting Jason in a dress. Everything else? I have no idea where it came from.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patches Dances

**Author's Note:**

> So I feel like I should explain my attempt at cobbling together characterization for everyone in this. Because the only thing I'm going to apologize for really, is my editing. Grammar and tenses ellude meeee!!!
> 
> This is me trying to put together a Jason that hasn't died yet, when most of my working knowledge is post-death!Jason. Throw in a Dick that can relate to this Jason when, again, my working history of Dick is his short-pants era, Timmy era, and Damian era. 
> 
> I'd love to actually read some of Robin!Jason era stuff, but as I tend to buy mostly trade-backs with the random issue thrown in here and there, that isn’t exactly the easiest option. I might just have to give in, find the issues he’s in, and buy the set that’s bound in the “I‘ll club you upside the head with how thick this book is” version.
> 
> Also, Dick came out of nowhere. I had one goal, but then I needed to explain the _why_ behind that goal and when I finally did, Dick popped up, bring with him a second goal.
> 
> Thankfully, Bruce and Alfred are pretty consistent with how they act. But then I wanted to shake Bruce since he would not tell me what his relationship with Jason was exactly. And Jason? The little troll just threw cute at me.
> 
> But dear sweet baby bunnies, they finally let me have an ending to this thing that could have gone on forever and there’s no saying it won’t later if I lose my mind again or something. That is, if I haven’t totally turned you off from my very spastic attempts at writing something that was just more than a little out of my area of knowledge.
> 
> Longest thing I’ve written in YEARS!
> 
> But NOT THE POINT! Point is, Happy Be-lated [Alan](http://wayne-manor.tumblr.com/). You’re a wonderful inspiration and your writing reminds me why I love those silly Batboys, and comics in general, the way I do. I hope you like your present.

The bar could have been any of the hundreds of bars in the Gotham slums. With dirty bricks walls covered in graffiti that’s sprayed almost carelessly, the heavy metal door that served as the entrance wasn’t an easy thing find. Additionally, the poor lighting and almost invisible sign with the name of the bar only made the situation worse and gave the whole place an air of being abandoned.

However, the lie of the bar being abandoned comes apart slightly as two figures come strolling out of the shadows and steam of Gotham, heading directly for the entrance. The taller of the two opens the door, holding it ajar just long enough for his shorter, and younger, companion to dart in before pulling it closed behind him.

Inside, the bar is decently packed with people, but not crowded beyond comfort. Most of the patrons glance up when they hear the arrival of new bodies, but they go back to what they had been previously doing, seeing one of their own and not thinking anything more of it. A few send the pair a nod or a casual wave of greeting, which the taller returns while the shorter one looks on curiously. A hand at the younger man’s back, however, keeps him silent and directs him towards where the bar instead.

At the bar, the younger man hops up to sit on one of the barstools, his feet not yet quite reaching the floor, while his companion stays standing next to him and knocks twice on the countertop. When the bartender turned around, he’s scowling at first, until his eyes rested on the smugly grinning man before him. His scowl changes into a wide grin however, when he sees just who it is that had called for his attention.

“Matches! The hell ‘ou been?! I thought you’d gotten yerrself locked up or something,” the bartender exclaims as he reaches for a bottle beneath the counter. He pops the cap off, before placing it in front of Matches, who takes it with a nod.

“Nah, just been busy. I got myself a new little friend,” the other man explains, his throat making deep swallowing motions as he tips the drink back. “Picked ‘im up for a job I’m doing.”

The bartender grunts, not needing to know where Matches might have picked up a stray kid from in Gotham. He glances over at the teenager sitting as pretty as you please on the stool and giving him the kind of innocent expression that had to have been practiced. It isn’t fooling anyone, but the bartender has to grin at the kid’s audacity. Giving him a nod, he turns his attention back to Matches.

“So what’s th’ kid’s name?”

“The kid’s name is Patches,” the teenager interrupts, shoving himself bodily into the conversation. He’s halfway off the stool, pressing up against Matches like a possessive lover, and he’s giving the bartender a mild glare. Like the innocent look from before, the bartender wouldn’t have put spit down on that actually being the teenager’s real name, but it was as good a name as any.

With a grunt, Matches shoves the newly named ‘Patches’ out of his personal space. Hands flash and it’s only with eyes well-trained in the same practice that he sees Patches removing something from the older man’s pocket, at the same time that Matches takes something from the kid.

“Stop stealing from me and get your own smokes, kid,” Matches states, brows furrowed in a glare. Patches just grins and, almost as a challenge, deliberately taps out a cigarette from the packet of stolen smokes, tossing it back to Matches after sticking the stolen smoke between his lips.

With a put-out sigh, Matches pulls out a small matchbook and lights it one-handed, the other plucking the stolen smoke out of the kid’s mouth. He lights it and takes a drag before offering it back to the teen. Patches seems content with his stolen goods and settles back on the stool with a grin.

“What kind of job do ya need a kid like that fer?” Kid had guts, that was for sure.

With a grin, Matches leans back, picking up his drink and taking another long swallow before speaking. “So I heard some interesting things ‘bout a few of Gotham’s finest…”

~*~

“You really do take me to the nicest places on our dates, Bruce,” Jason says with a laugh, toweling off his hair as he walks over to where Bruce is typing up the night’s report. The sound of Jason’s laughter echoes in the Cave and mixes with the sound of his bare feet slapping on the cold stone and the sound of Bruce’s fingers as they fly over the keys. The make-up and clothes that had made up Patches are gone, so it’s just Jason that remains. However, there are a few hints of Patches that still linger in the mannerism that they share.

He’s not quite as adept as Bruce is at slipping in and out of a character, or at creating a role that’s so removed from who he is, but Jason doesn’t dwell on the thought. Comparing himself to Bruce in everything is an exercise in stupidity.

Perching on the arm of the giant chair that Bruce sits at, Jason only gives the computer screen a passing glance as he reaches across Bruce’s lap and goes for the tray of sandwiches Alfred had laid out for the two of them. Nothing in Bruce’s behavior changes as the younger man invades his personal space, but Jason knows he’s got the older man’s attention nonetheless.

“So what’s next in this grand plan of yours to help Gordon clean house?” Jason makes sure to chew his food thoroughly and swallow before voicing his question. Alfred would know if he tried to talk with a mouth full of food and then he’d give Jason a _look_. It didn’t matter that Alfred wasn’t anywhere in Cave right now, Jason knew he’d still somehow just know. “You’ve baited the rumor mills about some dirty cops, and that kind of information spreads pretty fast. Are we going to do a take-out on the GCPD?”

“You know Alfred doesn’t approve of take-out,” Bruce replies, as the corner of his lips twitch upwards at the joke. Jason rolls his eyes at the correction, and takes a defiant bite of his sandwich as he slides off the chair’s arm and into Bruce’s lap, legs dangling over the sides. Bruce only shifts slightly in his seat and rests one of his hands on the younger man’s leg, seemingly not at all disturbed at suddenly having a lap full of teenage boy.

“But if you meant a stake-out, Dick already has that covered. He’ll be here the rest of the week to take care of it. I had him pick up a few things for me before he came home though. There’s another matter we need to look into that can’t be put off.”

It’s a simple thing for Bruce to type in a few commands one-handed, using the other to hand Jason the last sandwich. Jason, however, has other plans for the offered sandwich. He wasn’t about to let Bruce get away with not eating anything on his watch. Shifting so that he was sitting up rather than reclining, Jason holds the sandwich right up against Bruce’s mouth and doesn’t bother holding back his grin as Bruce gives him a wary look before sighing in resignation and taking a bite.

With Bruce eating out of Jason’s hand, literally, the teenager turns his attention to the studying the new display on the monitor. He has to re-read the report twice before he gives up and turns his head to face Bruce, confusion written all over his face.

“Okay, I give. What so important about a mask party you’re being invited to? And why should I care?”

The mischief that Jason can easily see in Bruce’s eyes makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, but it’s not until he hears Dick’s loud voice exclaiming that he’s arrived and to let the fashion show begin that Jason really starts to panic.

~*~

“Fuck you both, and I hope your balls fall off for this,” is Jason’s opening statement after being forcefully dragged out from the area Alfred had cornered off to ‘properly attire Master Jason in clothes befitting a lady.’ Dick is pretty sure that line is always going to be ridiculously hilarious to him, no matter what. Bruce and Dick, in the meantime, had been going over details for the stake-out that Dick was undertaking tomorrow night.

There had been cursing, shouting, and some very vocal and creative protest, but Alfred was not to be denied when on a mission. And 45 minutes later, Bruce and Dick were finally able to see the results. Already, Bruce is nodding his head and Dick is giving Alfred a thumbs-up in approval of his talents.

The dress that Jason is wearing is a deep, velvet red color with a high collar to hide his Adam’s apple, no sleeves, and hugs his upper torso only to flare out slightly at the hips. The dress ends just above Jason’s knees and the back hangs low, exposing the strong lines of Jason’s shoulder-blades. The front has a band of black braided fabric that traces the underside of Jason’s very realistic looking breasts and trails off to follow the dips on the side of the dress.

Black hose and red ankle boots complete the ensemble, and not even Jason glower can change the fact that the teenager pulls off the outfit exceptionally well. It’s not that Jason looks especially feminine just by wearing a dress, but the dark red color suits his complexion and the dress clings and flows in just the right places to avoid looking awkward. Because of Jason’s age, the muscles in his arms and legs have a more toned appearance than they would if he had been any older. Overall, it makes for a very pleasant picture.

“You look very nice Jason,” Bruce stays with all the seriousness that Dick isn’t even trying to have as he nods. The grin on Dick’s face is wide enough to look like it hurts. Jason’s only response to either of them is a dismissive scoff and to cross his arms. The tips of his ears, however, are a bright pink and the scowl he came out wearing isn’t quite as harsh anymore.

“I’m jealous,” is Dick’s input, and the look he gets for that from Jason makes Dick chuckle. “No really. First time I had to wear a dress, I could barely move in the thing Bruce stuffed me into. There were so many layers and frills, I thought it was part torture device and part circus tent. And don’t even get me started on the wig.”

That got a smile out of the younger man, until Alfred cleared his throat, bringing a wary expression onto Jason’s face once more.

“Of course, on the night of the dance, I shall attend to the final touches on Master Jason’s disguise, such as his hair and the proper make-up, but I thought that a primary fitting would be appropriate. To make sure that everything fits acceptably,” Alfred informs the group.

Bruce nods and Dick just doesn’t stop grinning. Neither man seems surprised by Alfred’s announcement, Jason, however, groans and slaps a hand over his face before running it upwards and through his hair.

“I did not sign up for this shit,” he mutters, starring absently into the depths of the Cave. It’s easy for the three men to read the embarrassment in Jason’s body language. Dick looks over and meets Bruce’s eyes and makes a jerking motion with his head in Jason’s direction. The older man nods and shares a quick look with the butler. Alfred only raises an eyebrow, but his approval is easy enough for both men to read.

“I’ve got some other stuff I need to take care of, but there is a bright side to going undercover as a woman,” Dick announces, straightening from where he’d been leaning on the computer panels and performing a lazy stretch. Jason’s gaze shifts over to Dick slowly, the disbelieving expression back on Jason’s face. The smile on the acrobat’s face is different and a lot harder to read, and it’s not answering any of Jason’s unspoken questions.

Instead of saying anything else, Dick just turns on his heel and makes for the entrance of the Cave. Jason watches him as he leaves and it isn’t until he can hear the sounds of the door closing behind Dick that he looks back to Bruce, confusion in every part of his manner now.

“If you’re going to attend the masquerade as my date, you’re going to have to dance with me,” Bruce explains, a patient and fond smile on his face as he meets Jason’s eyes. It takes Jason a moment to fully process what he’s just been told and then another to realize that they are alone in the Cave. When Alfred had left was a mystery, but the Wayne butler is even better than Bruce at stealth, so Jason doesn’t question it.

Bruce can see when Jason’s confidence comes back to him as he finds familiar footing in the situation. His back straightens and, rather than feeling out of place in the dress and boots, the teenager begins to own the outfit, much like he does when wearing Robin’s colors. There’s a slight sway in his steps as Jason saunters his way over to where Bruce is standing, drawing Bruce’s eyes to the other man’s hips and then down to his legs.

When he’s in reach, Jason slides his arms up and around Bruce’s neck, the heels giving him a bit of extra height he doesn’t have normally so that Jason doesn’t have to stretch. Although that doesn’t stop him from pressing himself right up against the older man, until it’s a question if Jason is standing at all or leaning entirely on Bruce. The grin on Jason’s face is familiar in its confidence and demanding nature.

“I guess we’d better make sure I know the right steps, huh? Hey, if you let me lead, I’ll take back every bad thing I said about the dress and shoes.”

“Let’s see how well you can follow first.”


End file.
